Igor Shulman Archive

Butterfly 2 — Igor Shulman, 2009

A woman stands with her arms outstretched against a soft, atmospheric field of grey, violet and muted blue. Seen from behind, she appears suspended between stillness and movement, her white dress contrasting sharply with the darker background.

The gesture gives the painting an almost weightless quality — a moment of freedom, transformation and quiet introspection. The loose brushwork and restrained palette leave the surrounding space deliberately undefined, allowing the figure and her movement to remain at the centre of the composition.

Butterfly 2
Igor Shulman, 2009
100 × 100 cm

Part of the Igor Shulman Art Archive.

Night Walks — Igor Shulman, 2009

Another work has been identified and added to the Igor Shulman archive.

Night Walks shows a solitary figure standing before a large illuminated opening, surrounded by deep red and blue architectural shadows.

The pale light beyond the figure creates a strong contrast with the darker interior, while the wet floor catches a subtle reflection below. Shulman uses loose, expressive brushwork to keep the surroundings atmospheric rather than precisely defined.

The result is a quiet nocturnal scene — a moment of pause, observation and movement.

Igor Shulman
Night Walks, 2009
Original oil painting
80 × 80 cm

The archive project continues with the identification and documentation of previously unpublished works.

Puddles and People - Igor Shulman, 2009

Another previously archived work has been identified and documented.

The painting shows a solitary man crouching above a wet surface, with his reflection extending beneath him. Shulman treats the reflection almost as a second figure: darker, distorted and gradually dissolving into the surrounding water.

Reflections appear as a recurring motif in a number of Shulman's works, particularly those involving water, rain and wet surfaces. At this stage, we are documenting the motif without assuming that these paintings formed a formally named series.

Igor Shulman
Puddles and People, 2009
Oil

The archive continues to reveal works that have not previously been documented online.

Octobers — Igor Shulman, 2008

Another painting has been found in the Igor Shulman archive.

Octobers shows a solitary woman standing beside a railing and watching a flock of cranes crossing a pale winter landscape. The stillness of the figure contrasts with the movement of the birds, giving the composition a quiet sense of distance, migration, and passing time.

The painting is signed and dated 2008.

Igor Shulman — Octobers
Original oil painting
90 × 120 cm

The archive project continues with the documentation and publication of works from Shulman’s paintings archive.

The Boy — Igor Shulman, 2009

Another work found and documented in the Igor Shulman Art Archive.

The Boy presents a young figure from behind, with the face largely hidden from view. Shulman concentrates on the physical presence of the figure — the shoulders, back, short reddish-brown hair and subtle turn of the head — against a textured field of cool blue, grey and mauve tones.

The heavily worked background, with visible painterly marks and scratched lines, contrasts with the softly illuminated figure. There is no defined setting, leaving the young boy suspended in an open, atmospheric space.

A quiet and intimate example of Shulman’s figurative work from 2009.

Igor Shulman Art Archive

Another painting from 2009 has been added to the Igor Shulman Archive.

My Pelican shows a young woman in profile beside a white pelican, both set against a quiet expanse of muted blue. Her hands are held close to her chest and lips, while the bird looks upward in the same general direction.

The composition is simple and restrained, with very little indication of a specific place. Shulman relies on the contrast between the cool blue background and dress, the warmer tones of the woman's skin and hair, and the pale feathers of the bird.

The painting leaves the relationship between the two figures open. There is no explicit story, only a quiet moment of attention between a woman and an animal.

My Pelican, 2009
Original Oil Painting on Canvas
Igor Shulman

The Bride Without a Place — Igor Shulman, 2009

Another previously archived painting by Igor Shulman has been documented.

The painting shows a solitary bride in a long white dress, standing in profile against a dark, textured background. The composition deliberately gives her no conventional wedding setting — there is no ceremony, no partner and no clear destination.

The white dress becomes the dominant element of the painting. Shulman builds its volume through loose layers of white, grey, lavender and pale pink, allowing the underlying surface and expressive marks to remain visible. Behind her, deep brown, muted violet and earthy tones form a rough, atmospheric field marked by scratches and painterly gestures.

The contrast between the luminous dress and the dark surrounding space gives the work its quiet, ambiguous character.

Igor Shulman — The Bride Without a Place, 2009
120 H × 90 W cm
Oil on canvas

Part of the Igor Shulman Art Archive.

At the Wall — Igor Shulman, 2011

Another previously archived work has been added to the Igor Shulman Art Archive.

At the Wall shows a woman standing close to a wall, seen from behind. Shulman leaves a remarkable amount of the canvas almost untouched, allowing the figure to emerge gradually from the pale surface.

The background is built from delicate washes of ochre, dusty rose, brown and violet, with loose marks and splashes suggesting rather than defining the surrounding space. The light clothing almost disappears into the background, while the dark hair provides the strongest visual accent.

It is a restrained and atmospheric example of Shulman's figurative work from 2011, built around the relationship between the human figure and empty space.

Igor Shulman — At the Wall, 2011

Part of the Igor Shulman Art Archive.

Autumn — Igor Shulman, 2010

Another painting has been added to the Igor Shulman Art Archive.

Autumn presents a woman in a long black dress and open white coat, standing against a warm, loosely defined background. Ochre, amber and rust tones suggest the season without relying on a literal autumn landscape.

Shulman combines carefully observed facial features and figure work with broad, expressive brushstrokes and textured passages. The white coat creates a strong frame around the dark dress, while the warm background gives the painting its seasonal character.

It is another example of Shulman's interest in contemporary female figures and the balance between figurative observation and expressive painting.

Igor Shulman
Autumn, 2010
Original figurative painting

Part of the Igor Shulman Art Archive.